Support bracket for railing system

Abstract

A support bracket may include a base portion having an upper surface and a lower surface for resting on a surface, and a mount portion securely mounted on the base portion. The mount portion may include a perimeter wall having a lower end mounted on the base portion such that the mount portion extends away from the upper surface, and an upper end with an upper opening. The bracket may form a socket for receiving a lower end portion of an upright post. The socket may have a cross section size with a width and a depth, and a length substantially equal to the maximum extent to which the lower end portion of the upright post is insertable into the socket. The length of the socket may be greater than approximately two times the width of the socket.

I claim: 
     
       1. A support bracket for supporting an upright post of a railing assembly in an upright orientation on a surface, the support bracket including:
 a base portion having an upper surface and a lower surface for resting on the surface, the base portion having at least one hole through which a fastener is able to pass through the base portion to secure the base portion to the surface on which the lower surface of the base portion rests; 
 a mount portion securely mounted on the base portion, the mount portion including a perimeter wall having a lower end mounted on the base portion such that the mount portion extends away from the upper surface, the perimeter wall having an upper end with an upper opening; 
 wherein the bracket forms a socket for receiving a lower end portion of the upright post, the socket having a cross section size with a width and a depth, wherein the socket has a length substantially equal to the maximum extent to which the lower end portion of the upright post is insertable into the socket, the length of the socket being greater than approximately two times the width of the socket; 
 wherein the support bracket includes a pair of pockets opening in substantially opposite directions with respect to each other, each of the pockets being at least partially formed by the mount portion, each of the pockets being formed by a pair of pocket walls oriented substantially parallel to each other, a distance between the pair of pocket walls of a said pocket being equal to the depth of the cross section size of the socket; 
 wherein the perimeter wall includes an inwardly creased portion extending between the lower and upper ends thereof, thereby decreasing the width of the socket. 
 
     
     
       2. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the length of the socket is approximately two times to approximately four times the width of the socket. 
     
     
       3. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the length of the socket is approximately three times the width of the socket. 
     
     
       4. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the length of the socket being at least approximately 12 inches. 
     
     
       5. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the width of the cross section size of the socket is greater than the depth. 
     
     
       6. The bracket of  claim 5  wherein the width of the cross section size of the socket is twice the depth of the cross section size of the socket. 
     
     
       7. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the width of the cross section size of the socket is approximately 4 inches and the depth of the cross section size of the socket is approximately 2 inches. 
     
     
       8. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the width and the depth of the cross section size of the socket are sized to snugly receive the lower end portion of an upright post formed of a single nominal 2″×4″ piece of lumber. 
     
     
       9. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the perimeter wall of the mount portion has side wall sections defining their between the depth of the cross section size of the socket, the perimeter wall of the mount portion having end wall sections defining therebetween the width of the cross section size of the socket, the width of the cross section size being greater than the depth of the cross section size; and
 wherein each pocket is formed adjacent to one of the end wall sections, each of the pockets being formed by the respective end wall section and the pair of pocket walls extending from the mount portion, each of the pocket walls forming a planar extension of one of the side wall sections of the perimeter wall. 
 
     
     
       10. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein each pocket wall forming a said pocket of the pair of pockets has an outer edge which extends from the mount portion to the base portion substantially linearly such that each pocket wall has a substantially triangular face. 
     
     
       11. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the mount portion extends in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the lower surface of the base portion. 
     
     
       12. The bracket of  claim 1  wherein the perimeter wall of the mount portion includes sections positioned on opposite sides of the socket, a first one of the sections being creased inwardly toward a second one of the sections from an orientation to produce a gradual convergence of inner faces of the first and second sections of the perimeter wall toward the crease and create a reduction in the width of the socket between inner faces of the sections along the crease to press the inner faces against a post inserted into the socket. 
     
     
       13. A temporary safety railing system for use on a floor surface, the system comprising:
 a railing assembly including:
 a plurality of upright posts, the posts having a substantially vertical orientation, each of the posts having a lower end portion; and 
 at least one upper rail extending between at least two of the upright posts; and 
 a lower rail extending between the lower end portions of the at least two upright posts; 
 
 a support bracket supporting at least one of the upright posts of a railing assembly in an upright orientation on the floor surface, the support bracket including:
 a base portion having an upper surface and a lower surface for resting on the surface, the base portion having at least one hole through which a fastener is able to pass through the base portion to secure the base portion to the surface on which the lower surface of the base portion rests; 
 a mount portion securely mounted on the base portion, the mount portion including a perimeter wall having a lower end mounted on the base portion such that the mount portion extends away from the upper surface, the perimeter wall having an upper end with an upper opening; 
 wherein the bracket forms a socket receiving the lower end portion of the upright post, the socket having a cross section size with a width and a depth, the width of the cross section size of the socket being twice the depth of the cross section size of the socket; and 
 wherein the support bracket includes a pair of pockets opening in substantially opposite directions with respect to each other, at least one of the pockets receiving an end of the lower rail of the railing assembly, each of the pockets being at least partially formed by the mount portion, each of the pockets being formed by a pair of pocket walls oriented substantially parallel to each other, a distance between the pair of pocket walls of a said pocket being equal to the depth of the cross section size of the socket; 
 wherein the perimeter wall includes an inwardly creased portion extending between the lower and upper ends thereof, thereby decreasing the width of the socket. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13  wherein the length of the socket is approximately two times to approximately four times the width of the socket. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 13  wherein the length of the socket is approximately three times the width of the socket. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 13  wherein the width and the depth of the cross section size of the socket are sized to snugly receive the lower end portion of an upright post formed of a nominal 2″×4″ piece of lumber. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 13  wherein each pocket wall forming a said pocket of the pair of the pockets has an outer edge which extends from the mount portion to the base portion substantially linearly such that each pocket wall has a substantially triangular face.